Rutgers Baseball will begin conference play on the road this weekend as they head out to the Midwest to take on Michigan State in a three game series.
Now the Scarlet Knights have gotten their season off to a good start posting an 18-7 record so far, while the Spartans have been struggling as they are currently 10-12 on the year.
With that being said, here are three Michigan State players to watch this weekend versus Rutgers this weekend.
LHP NICK POWERS....
Senior LHP Nick Powers has been one of the best left-handers in the Big Ten this season, but he will face a real challenge against the Rutgers offense this weekend.
In the 2024 season, Powers has made six starts and posted a 3-2 record so far to go along and a 2.57 ERA. He's also recorded a 1.07 WHIP, a .255 opponent batting average, six walks, and 34 strikeouts, and 42.0 innings pitched.
Powers features a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. He also does a good job of mixing his pitches well. His fastball velocity sits in the mid-80s and tops out at 88-89 mph.
OF JACK FRANK...
Senior outfielder Jack Frank is a veteran hitter for the Spartans and has started for them for the past couple of years. Frank is expected to hit at the top of the order for the Spartans and will get plenty of at-bats versus the Scarlet Knights.
In his senior season, Frank has started in all 22 games. Frank is slashing .355/.444/.538 with 33 hits, seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, fourteen walks, a team-high 11 stolen bases, and a .982 OPS.
The Spartans have a talented lineup and Frank is one of the leaders for the team, leading the team in batting average, triples, walks, and on-base percentage. He’s also tied for first in runs with 20 total.
RHP TOMMY SZCZEPANSKI....
Sophomore RHP Tommy Szczepanski has been Michigan State’s closer and has pitched well for the Spartans so far. Out of high school, Szczepanski was quite the prospect, as he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Now obviously he decided to go to college instead and so far he's been pretty good this year. He has made a team-high 10 appearances and no starts while posting a 0-3 record with a 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, a .146 opponent batting average, and has 19 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched.
The former Virginia Tech transfer was a Top 200 prospect out of high school and didn’t pitch well in his freshman season, but has been good so far for Michigan State. He has a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball that sits in the low 90s and tops out at 94 mph along with a slider and changeup.
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